It’s Going to Come Back Around

It was a cold winter day; the air outside was freezing, and the sun hid behind gray, gloomy clouds. I was talking to my friends at our usual lunch table. Behind me, my sister Lilly DeBuel sat with her friends. They all excitedly chatted about an ice skating competition coming up at the end of the month. Lilly always bragged at home how she was going to win the whole thing; she pranced around the house with arrogance. How is she so sure she’s going to win?

“My costume is going to look so cute!” Shouts arose from the lunch table behind me. I glanced back at them. They were too busy talking to notice me. “No, I believe I am going to win!” another one protested. Disagreements flew back and forth until lunchtime was over.

Later that day, when both Lilly and I were home from school, I had been trying to talk to her in her room; although, she seemed preoccupied. She frantically rushed around her room organizing papers, going through drawers, and simply pacing back and forth. I can easily say she wasn’t listening to what I had to say.

“So I heard you at lunch talking about the competition,” I said. Lilly and I haven’t ever gotten along, let alone talk to each other.

“Yeah. And?” she quickly answered.

“Oh, well, have you gotten your costume yet?” I asked.

“No, Melody.”

“I can leave if you want me to,” I suggested. She didn’t answer me. Instead, there was a knock at her bedroom door. Our mother entered carrying a long, slim package with a bow wrapped around it. She handed the beige box to Lilly and stood beside her. Both of them grinned widely at it.

“Should I be excited too?” I thought.

Lilly slowly pulled the salmon colored ribbon undone and tossed it on the ground. She opened the box to unveil a crisp, new skating leotard. Lilly held the beautiful dress in front of her to examine it. It was a vibrant red that matched Lilly’s fiery red locks. Rhinestones were scattered around the front of it, and the dress ended in a flowing skirt. Lilly’s emerald eyes twinkled, and I could tell she was pleased.

“It looks beautiful,” our mom finally said, breaking the silence. Nearly a few minutes later, we were off to the skating rink to watch Lilly practice. I had to go to “give Lilly emotional and spiritual support,” as my mother puts it.

The rink was just about empty when we arrived. Lilly got right to work on her routine. I was bored by it only because I had seen it how many times over. Lilly was really an elegant skater, but I still thought that she was up against some real competition. She performed a series of jumps, spins, and difficult tricks right until the music stopped playing. After practicing on her weak spots, right as we were about to leave, Lilly ran into one of her friends from her school and skating team.

“Hi!” Lilly exclaimed. They exchanged what seemed to me like fake hugs. I had always wondered whether Lilly had any real friends. To me, they all seemed fake with each other. She was one of the prettiest and most popular girls at our school, but somehow I doubted all of it. It was amazing how different we are from each other; I am a more reserved and friendly person. I believe that coming from a rich family, Lilly has become spoiled by our fortune. Either way, we were home before I knew it. It was beginning to get dark outside when Lilly approached me.

She said, “I have a really good feeling I’m going to win.” A sly smile formed on her face.

“Why do you say that?” I dared to ask.

“Well, I have a plan,” she replied. She hesitated, but continued, “Want to hear it?” I nodded my head. “I know it sounds really terrible, but I’m going to ruin everyone’s game.”

“You’re kidding?” I asked. I squinted my eyes at her and raised an eyebrow. She proudly shook her head. “What are you planning on doing?”

“Oh, maybe ruining a few skates, taking costumes away,” she said, as if she was just naming off an everyday list of to-do’s. “I mean, I can’t risk my title, can I? I just can’t lose this. This is probably the most important competition of my life.” She looked up at me and stared into my sparkling blue eyes.

I thought she was over exaggerating, but I simply nodded my head. “Should I tell her that she’s wrong to do this?” I thought. “She wouldn’t listen to me anyways. We’ll see how it goes.”

Over the next few days, I noticed Lilly acting rather shady. She seemed to be sneaking around everywhere. One night when I was home alone, I somehow managed to glimpse into Lilly’s lavender-colored room and spotted a pair of ice skates. The blades look scuffed up and tampered with. I looked closer at them, and I noticed the initials threaded into the skates: T.S. Just then I realized that those were Lilly’s best friend’s initials. I thought of only one thing, “She’s really going to do this. She’s going to sabotage everyone’s game!”